Today's Scripture Readings
Wisdom 6:12-16 (NRSV)
Psalm 70 (BCP., p.682)
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (NRSV)
Matthew 25:1-13 (NRSV)
Blog Reflection
It is hard to believe where we are in our Liturgical calendar. In just three weeks we will embark on a new Liturgical Cycle. This Year A in which we have been reading from the Gospel of Matthew is winding down. As is the Tradition of the Church we come to that time of the Year when we focus on the return of Christ at the end of the age. All of the Lectionary Readings beginning mid September and up to this point have been slowly moving us to where we are now. Now we pick up the pace as we prepare to celebrate Christ the King, Thanksgiving Day and the First Sunday of Advent.
It is prophetic that this Sundays Lectionary begins with Wisdom. I find it humbling that we are introduced to what the Lord wants us to hear begins with the feminine nature of the Divine. It has yet to be completely clarified if God even has a gender. The Tradition of the Church has unquestionably been leaning toward the worst kind of male chauvinism. Is it any wonder that one of the products of the Protestant Reformation was to promote the King James Version of the Bible that omitted the Apocrypha with its references to the Wisdom of God understood as a feminine quality? Now as the Church begins a movement towards a greater acceptance of transgender individuals, our greatest hurdle is learning to let go of how we perceive a particular gender and what stereotypes we ascribe to them.
The writer of Wisdom tells us to be prepared for Wisdom to give us a firmer grounding in life than trying to do with out Her. She moves in the hearts of those who have answered the desire of God for us to draw closer to God. Once our hearts and souls are awoken to the stir of the Wisdom of God within us, and we give ourselves over to all She wants to do; we will discover a new quality in our relationship with God and others. Wisdom seeks out those who seek a deeper union with God. A union with God that is transparent because of a growing heart of compassion for those among us who remain second class citizens. That heart should expand with the Law of our God of mercy being written by the grace of the Holy Spirit. This kind of Wisdom is a breeding ground for the contemplative vision of God, by seeing all things and people from God's perspective.
I recently asked a Priest. "Where does the whole idea of watching and waiting in the Season of Advent come from?" His answer concerned me not so much with what he did say; but what he did not. In terms of the Liturgy of the Church; the watching and waiting that we are invited to through this reading from Matthew that will lead us into Advent; comes from the Benedictine Daily Office of Vigils. Or, as we like to say in the Episcopal/Anglican Tradition, Matins. Matins derives its meaning from the Latin word, "Matutinum" or "Matutinae" meaning "belonging to the morning." It retains parts of the Night Office of Vigils. In addition, Matins includes parts of Lauds (Morning Prayer) and Prime (meaning "First Hour"). The "watch" is referred to for example in Psalm 3:5 "I lie down and go to sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me." In Psalm 16:8 we read, "I will bless the LORD who gives me counsel; my heart teaches me, night after night." Another example is Psalm 22:2, "O my God, I cry in the daytime, but you do not answer; by night as well, but I find no rest." Lastly, Psalm 63:6, "When I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the night watches." St. Benedict retained the Office of Vigils from the writings of St. John Cassian and the Desert Mothers and Fathers.
The readings from the New Testament and the Gospel are about watching and waiting for the return of Christ. A wise Christian will keep watch with their lamps lit because we do not know at what hour Christ will return.
There are a fair number of touching stories that point us to what this Gospel means. I cannot recall the name of it (or them), but in one of them a man was expecting Jesus for Christmas dinner. As he was preparing the feast, there were several knocks at the door. He turned each of them away (I think), saying that he was waiting for Jesus to come to dinner. When Jesus finally arrived, the meal was not quite finished. As the guy was finishing, he was apologizing to Jesus; who told him that He already showed up in those who previously knocked and were turned away. Therefore what made Jesus think the man would be ready to receive Him now if he wasn't then?
As Christians we always tend to have our lamps lit with plenty of oil to fuel them; so long as we gather in our churches to draft rules or canons about who we keep out of the Church. We keep our lights on for Bible studies that only go so far as to move us beyond our self-absorption that won't let us welcome people of other faiths, sexual orientations, political parties or doctrinal diversity. We meet together to discuss being "pastoral" while gossiping about who is not fit for the pastoral ministry of the Church. There is something about her/his behavior that makes us uncomfortable and nervous as to how we will be perceived. This is often the case for individuals with mental illness issues and/or autistic conditions. Others who might experience this would be "illegal" immigrants or those who are homeless. The lights of opportunity are lit for those who give us large cash donations, but they are set very dim when Christ comes in the poor, lonely and disenfranchised to offer only themselves.
Today, Jesus Christ challenges all of us to remember our Baptismal Vows in our watching and waiting. All of us are invited to the wedding banquet that is the Holy Eucharist and in service to Christ and the Church. Each of us have gifts to offer, to be received with respect and reverence for the Presence of Christ in each other. Christians are encouraged in this Gospel to make room in our churches; as well as in society for the inclusive Reign of God. Our prejudices along with our silent voices in the face of injustice, violence, poverty, sickness and oppression suggest our foolishness in thinking that there is time enough to buy more oil; because Jesus certainly won't come while we are away.
The time for watching, waiting, praying and responding to Christ is now. May we search for union with God in a bonded relationship; that is self evident in our devotion to strive for peace and justice among all people, and to uphold the dignity of every human being.
Amen.
Prayers
Wisdom 6:12-16 (NRSV)
- Wisdom is radiant and unfading,
- and she is easily discerned by those who love her,
- and is found by those who seek her.
- She hastens to make herself known to those who desire her.
- One who rises early to seek her will have no difficulty,
- for she will be found sitting at the gate.
- To fix one’s thought on her is perfect understanding,
- And one who is vigilant on her account will soon be free from care,
- because she goes about seeking those worthy of her,
- and she graciously appears to them in their paths,
- and meets them in every thought.
Psalm 70 (BCP., p.682)
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (NRSV)
We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel's call and with the sound of God's trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.
Matthew 25:1-13 (NRSV)
Jesus said, "Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a shout, `Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, `Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the wise replied, `No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.' And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, `Lord, lord, open to us.' But he replied, `Truly I tell you, I do not know you.' Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour."
Blog Reflection
It is hard to believe where we are in our Liturgical calendar. In just three weeks we will embark on a new Liturgical Cycle. This Year A in which we have been reading from the Gospel of Matthew is winding down. As is the Tradition of the Church we come to that time of the Year when we focus on the return of Christ at the end of the age. All of the Lectionary Readings beginning mid September and up to this point have been slowly moving us to where we are now. Now we pick up the pace as we prepare to celebrate Christ the King, Thanksgiving Day and the First Sunday of Advent.
It is prophetic that this Sundays Lectionary begins with Wisdom. I find it humbling that we are introduced to what the Lord wants us to hear begins with the feminine nature of the Divine. It has yet to be completely clarified if God even has a gender. The Tradition of the Church has unquestionably been leaning toward the worst kind of male chauvinism. Is it any wonder that one of the products of the Protestant Reformation was to promote the King James Version of the Bible that omitted the Apocrypha with its references to the Wisdom of God understood as a feminine quality? Now as the Church begins a movement towards a greater acceptance of transgender individuals, our greatest hurdle is learning to let go of how we perceive a particular gender and what stereotypes we ascribe to them.
The writer of Wisdom tells us to be prepared for Wisdom to give us a firmer grounding in life than trying to do with out Her. She moves in the hearts of those who have answered the desire of God for us to draw closer to God. Once our hearts and souls are awoken to the stir of the Wisdom of God within us, and we give ourselves over to all She wants to do; we will discover a new quality in our relationship with God and others. Wisdom seeks out those who seek a deeper union with God. A union with God that is transparent because of a growing heart of compassion for those among us who remain second class citizens. That heart should expand with the Law of our God of mercy being written by the grace of the Holy Spirit. This kind of Wisdom is a breeding ground for the contemplative vision of God, by seeing all things and people from God's perspective.
I recently asked a Priest. "Where does the whole idea of watching and waiting in the Season of Advent come from?" His answer concerned me not so much with what he did say; but what he did not. In terms of the Liturgy of the Church; the watching and waiting that we are invited to through this reading from Matthew that will lead us into Advent; comes from the Benedictine Daily Office of Vigils. Or, as we like to say in the Episcopal/Anglican Tradition, Matins. Matins derives its meaning from the Latin word, "Matutinum" or "Matutinae" meaning "belonging to the morning." It retains parts of the Night Office of Vigils. In addition, Matins includes parts of Lauds (Morning Prayer) and Prime (meaning "First Hour"). The "watch" is referred to for example in Psalm 3:5 "I lie down and go to sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me." In Psalm 16:8 we read, "I will bless the LORD who gives me counsel; my heart teaches me, night after night." Another example is Psalm 22:2, "O my God, I cry in the daytime, but you do not answer; by night as well, but I find no rest." Lastly, Psalm 63:6, "When I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the night watches." St. Benedict retained the Office of Vigils from the writings of St. John Cassian and the Desert Mothers and Fathers.
The readings from the New Testament and the Gospel are about watching and waiting for the return of Christ. A wise Christian will keep watch with their lamps lit because we do not know at what hour Christ will return.
There are a fair number of touching stories that point us to what this Gospel means. I cannot recall the name of it (or them), but in one of them a man was expecting Jesus for Christmas dinner. As he was preparing the feast, there were several knocks at the door. He turned each of them away (I think), saying that he was waiting for Jesus to come to dinner. When Jesus finally arrived, the meal was not quite finished. As the guy was finishing, he was apologizing to Jesus; who told him that He already showed up in those who previously knocked and were turned away. Therefore what made Jesus think the man would be ready to receive Him now if he wasn't then?
As Christians we always tend to have our lamps lit with plenty of oil to fuel them; so long as we gather in our churches to draft rules or canons about who we keep out of the Church. We keep our lights on for Bible studies that only go so far as to move us beyond our self-absorption that won't let us welcome people of other faiths, sexual orientations, political parties or doctrinal diversity. We meet together to discuss being "pastoral" while gossiping about who is not fit for the pastoral ministry of the Church. There is something about her/his behavior that makes us uncomfortable and nervous as to how we will be perceived. This is often the case for individuals with mental illness issues and/or autistic conditions. Others who might experience this would be "illegal" immigrants or those who are homeless. The lights of opportunity are lit for those who give us large cash donations, but they are set very dim when Christ comes in the poor, lonely and disenfranchised to offer only themselves.
Today, Jesus Christ challenges all of us to remember our Baptismal Vows in our watching and waiting. All of us are invited to the wedding banquet that is the Holy Eucharist and in service to Christ and the Church. Each of us have gifts to offer, to be received with respect and reverence for the Presence of Christ in each other. Christians are encouraged in this Gospel to make room in our churches; as well as in society for the inclusive Reign of God. Our prejudices along with our silent voices in the face of injustice, violence, poverty, sickness and oppression suggest our foolishness in thinking that there is time enough to buy more oil; because Jesus certainly won't come while we are away.
The time for watching, waiting, praying and responding to Christ is now. May we search for union with God in a bonded relationship; that is self evident in our devotion to strive for peace and justice among all people, and to uphold the dignity of every human being.
Amen.
Prayers
O God, whose blessed Son came into the world that he might
destroy the works of the devil and make us children of God
and heirs of eternal life: Grant that, having this hope, we may
purify ourselves as he is pure; that, when he comes again
with power and great glory, we may be made like him in his
eternal and glorious kingdom; where he lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Proper 27. The Book of Common Prayer, p. 236).
Gracious Father, we pray for thy holy Catholic Church. Fill it
with all truth, in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt,
purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in any thing it is
amiss, reform it. Where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in
want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake
of Jesus Christ thy Son our Savior. Amen. (Prayer for the Church. The Book of Common Prayer, p. 816).
O God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our only Savior,
the Prince of Peace: Give us grace seriously to lay to heart the
great dangers we are in by our unhappy divisions; take away
all hatred and prejudice, and whatever else may hinder us
from godly union and concord; that, as there is but one Body
and one Spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one Faith,
one Baptism, one God and Father of us all, so we may be all
of one heart and of one soul, united in one holy bond of truth
and peace, of faith and charity, and may with one mind and
one mouth glorify thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen. (Prayer for the Unity of The Church. The Book of Common Prayer, p.818).
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